Selector mechanism for automatic phonographs



July 15,1941; A HOKANSON' Em 2,249,246

SELECTOR MECHANISM FOR AUTOMATIC PHONOGRAPHS Filed May 25, 1959 '3 Sheets-Sheet 1 July 15, 1941. o. A 'HOKANSON H M 2,249,246

SELECTOR MECHANISM, FOR AUTOMATIC PHONOGRAPHS 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 ly 15,.1941- o. A. HOKANSON EI'AL 2,249,246

SELECTOR MECHANISM. FOR AUTOMATIC PHONOGRAPHS Filed May 25, 19:59 s Sheets-Sheet 3 Patented July 15, 1941 SELECTOR MECHANISM FOR AUTOMATIC PHONOGRAPHS e. i one A. Hokalnao n, Snyder, and Theodore M.

Wright, North lonawanda, N. Y., alsignorl to The Rudolph Wurlitzer Company, North Tonawanda, N. Y., a corporation of Ohio Application May 25, 1939, Serial No. 275,668

13 Claims. (01. 192-139) This invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in automatic selective phonographs but now particularly to a record selecting mechanism therefor.

One of its objects is to provide novel, simple and reliable mechanical means for automatically controlling the selection of one or more records for play.

Another object of the invention is to provide means for automatically controlling the consecutive playing of records for play when no selection has been made at the selector.

A further object is to provide simple and reliable clutch controlling means actuated bythe record selector to automatically control the record-changing mechanism of the phonograph.

Other features of the invention reside in the construction and arrangement of parts hereinafter described and particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings: Figure l isa fragmentary perspective view of an automatic phonograph showing our improved selector mechanism applied thereto. Figure 2 is a perspective view of the selector control mechanism. Figure 3 is an enlarged transverse vertical section of the record selector mechanism taken on line 88, Figure 6.

Similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views.

Our improved record selector mechanism has been shown, by way of example, in connection with an automatic phonograph of the type shown in the United States Patent No. 2,096,718 granted October 26, 1937, wherein l0 indicates the supporting platform, II the tone arm which is mounted to swing into and out of playing engagement with the records, and I2 the turntable which is adapted to support the records in stacklike fashion for selective play. On the type of phonograph with which the mechanical selector mechanism has been shown, the turntable is adjustable to various heights to properly position a preselected record in the operating plane of the tone arm, after which the record stack is split above the record selected for play to provide an operating clearance for the tone arm.

In the preferred construction of the selector mechanism shown in the drawings it consists of asupporting frame l3 disposed below the platform It and having rearwardly extending ears I to which is fixed a horizontal or pivot shaft l6. Pivoted on this shaft are a plurality of vertically-swinging selector levers it which are disposed in spaced relation and are adapted to be projected into and out of a selecting position. Each of these selector levers has a rearwardlyprojecting arm I'l extending through a slot I8 in an arcuate face plate l9 exposed at the front side of the phonograph cabinet and secured to a base flange 20 of the supporting frame l3 as seen in Figure 3. A button 2| is applied to the front end of each arm IT for manually manipulating the selector levers It to record-selecting position. Each lever is also provided with a downwardly-extending arm 22 having a cam-face 23 at its lower side and terminating in an inwardly-projecting tappet-lug 24 which predetermines the selection of the record for play and is guided in a'slot 25 formed in the upright wall 26 of the frame I3.

Pivoted at '21 to the frame-ears l4 below the pivot-shaft I5 and coextensive therewith is a consecutive play-goveming bar 28 which in its normally operative position shown by dotted lines in Figure 3 governs the consecutive playing of the records, but which, when any records are preselected by' the selector-levers, is automatically shifted by such levers to an inoperative position shown by full lines in such figure. At its inner end the bar 28 is provided with a longitudinal row of upstanding teeth or tappet-lugs 29 which correspond in number to and are disposed in the operating planes of the respective selector levers, so that in the normally operative position of the bar 28, its tappet-lugs occupy the same selective position as do the selector lever tappet-lugs 24 when such levers are projected to a selective position. For this purpose, a longitudinal cam face 38 is applied to the bar 28 and is common to the respective selector levers for operative engagement with the cam faces 23 thereof, so that when a selector lever is depressed its cam face 23 bears on the cam face of the bar 28 to rock the latter -in a direction to bring its tappet-lugs 29 to an inoperative position. A spring 3| tends constantly to rock such bar to its operative or dotted line position shown in Figure 3. In other words, if no records are selected by the levers It, then the bar 28 functions to automatically govern the playingmf the records consecutively, but when records are selected by such levers, then the latter automatically function to shift the bar 28 to an inoperative position.

Disposed for cooperative selective engagement with the tappet-lugs 24 or 29' of the selector levers l6 and consecutive-play bar 28, respectively, for predetermining the playing of a given record or records, is a slide block 32 guided for longitudinal movement relative to said levers and bar in ways 33 applied to the frame-wall 26. This block is actuated. to its different selective positions as called for by the selector levers or consecutive-play bar from the record-changing mechanism of the phonograph, and in the type of machine in which we have shown our invention, the block, when arrested at a given" selective position, governs a clutch operatively associated with the record-changing mechanism to properly position the turntable at an elevation corresponding to the record selected for play and split the record-stack above the record selected to provide a clearance space for the movement of the tone arm. By way of example, this block is operatively connected to the record changing mechanism through the medium of a horizontallyswinging lever 34 disposed generally at right angles to one end of the frame l3 and pivoted at 35 to swing toward and from such frame, a spring 36 acting thereon to swing it in one direction. The free end of this lever is connected by a link 31 with the slide-block 32 to shift the latter in accordance with the swinging movements of such lever. This lever is actuated during the elevating movements of the turntable [2 to the height at which the selected record is to be played, and

for this purpose a selector cam 38 is fixed to a horizontal shaft 39 and is in peripheral contact with a roller 46 applied to the lever 34, as shown in Figure 2. The turntable is elevated by a cam 4| also fixed to the shaft 39 and is so proportioned to the cam 38 that when the cams are gyrated, like stages of movement are imparted to the parts controlled, to the end that when a given record is selected, and the turntable raised to the elevation for playing it, the slide block 32, will be accordingly shifted to a position in alinement with the tappet-lug 24 of a given depressed selector lever [B companion to the selected record, or to a position as determined by the consecutiveplay bar 28. Motion is transmitted to the earns 38 and 4| from the motor (not shown) to a bevel gear 42 which meshes with a like gear 43 mounted on one end of a horizontal shaft 44. A hollow shaft 45 extends over the other end of the shaft 44 and has at one end a worm 46 meshing with a worm wheel 41 fixed to a vertical shaft 48 to which the record-splitting means -(not shown) are operatively connected. At its other end this hollow shaft has a clutch element 49. Loosely mounted on the shaft 44 intermediate its ends is a clutch-controlled gear 50 meshing with a similar gear fixed on the adjoining end of a parallel counter shaft 52 and provided at its opposite end with a worm 53 meshing with a worm wheel 54 fixed to the cam-shaft 39. A shiftable clutch collar 55 keyed to the shaft 44 between the companion clutch elements 49, 50 and actuated by a clutch lever 56 serves, when shifted in one direction, to clutch the gear 50 to said shaft and accordingly transmit motion to the cam shaft for elevating the turntable and controlling the shifting of the slide-block 32 to a selective position as determined by the tappet lugs 24 or 29. When shifted in the opposite direction this clutch collar is engaged with a. companion clutch element 49 to clutch the hollow shaft 45 to the shaft 44 and accordingly transmit motion to the stack-splitting means. A spring 56 acts on the clutch lever to move it to such last-named position.

When the slide block is arrested during its cam-propelled movement by one or another of the lugs 24 of the depressed selector levers I6 or by one or another of the lugs 29 of the consecutive-play bar 28, a means is provided for automatically shifting the clutch-collar 55 in a direction to disengage it from the gear 56 to arrest the motion of the cam shaft 52 and bring it into clutching engagement with the clutch element 49 to transmit motion to the worm 46 to actuate the stack-splitting means. The preferred means for effecting the automatic shifting of the clutchcollar 55, when the block 32 is arrested in the manner aforesaid, consists of a vertically-swinging, spring-pressed pawl 51 pivoted on a stud 56 projecting through an arcuate slot 59 in the slideblock 32 and fixed on the upright arm of a bell crank lever 66 pivoted at 6| adjacent the lower end of said block. The other or horizontal arm of this bell crank lever has a laterally-offset, rearward extension 62 whose free end is disposed in the path of and is adapted at a predetermined time, to actuate a vertically-swinging rock bar 63 pivoted at its ends at 64. Fixed to and projecting rearwardly from this rock bar beyond its pivot 64 is a trip finger 65 which normally rests on the horizontal arm of a vertically-swinging bell crank lever 66 pivoted at 61 in adjoining relation to the clutch assembly and having its upright arm 66 engaging the opposing face of a clutch-governing trigger 69 pivoted at 16 to a bracket H for both'vertically-swinging and lateral movement. For permitting this lateral displacement, the pivoted end of this trigger is free and is backed up by a coil spring 12, and its front face is adapted to fulcrum over the adjoining edge of the bracket H. This trigger is normally held in the position shown by full lines in Figure 6 and at a predetermined time is adapted to be laterally displaced by the bell crank arm 68 to the dotted line position in such figure. A collar 13 fixed to the shaft 44 has a trip pin 14 thereon which is adapted to engage the trigger 69, when in its laterally-displaced position, to swing it vertically about its pivot to a clutch-actuating position. In the path of and actuated by the vertically-swinging movement of the trigger is an oscillating, clutch-governing bar 15 pivoted at I6 to the free end of a horizontally swinging lever 11 and guided at its other or bifurcated end in a yoke 18 formed on the clutch lever 56. This bar has an endwise-facing shoulder 19 on one of its bifurcations adapted to abut against the opposing edge of the clutchshifting lever to hold said lever in its neutral or released position against the tension of thebar to rock the bell crank 60 about its pivot to in turn actuate the bell crank lever 66 in a direction to cause its arm 68 to displace the trigger 69 laterally into the path of the radial pin 14 which thereupon swings the trigger vertically to engage the wing and cause the oscillation of 1 to a position to lower the split portion of the the clutch-governing bar in a direction to release its shoulder 18 from the clutch lever to allow the latter to. be shifted by its spring 56% to a position to bring the shiftable clutch collar 55 into coupling engagement with the clutch ele- 5 ment on the hollow shaft 45 to .transmit motion thereto for effecting the splitting of the recordstack above the record selected for play.

At a predeterminedtime in the cycle of operations, viz., duringthe stack-splitting operation, means are provided for cancelling the selectorlever l6 corresponding to the record being played. For this purpose the slide block 32 has a cancelling plunger 8| disposed for registering engagement with the tappet-lug 24 of a depressed selector lever, this plunger being normally held out of engagement with such lug by a spring 82, as seen in Figures 2 and 3. Disposed coextensive with the line of selective travel of the slide block foroperative engagement with the rear end of its plunger is a' cancelling-bar 83 pivoted at 84 and 85 to arms 86 fixed to the frame-ears l4.

Thejpivot 84 hasan extension in the form'of crank 81 in the path of a vertically swinging lever 88 pivoted at 89 and having a cam surface 98 whichis disposed in the path of a lug 9i depending from the wormwheel 41 mounted on the shaft 48. It will be seen that at a proper time the worm wheel lug 9i rides overthe cam surface 98 and trips the lever 88 vertically to in turn swing the cancelling bar 83 in a direction to force the plunger 8| against the end of the registering selector lever tappet-lug 24 to restore such lever to its normal non-selecting position shown by dotted lines in Figure 3, and in which position 3' said tappet-lug is out of the path of travel of the slide-block, the pawl 51 is unlatched and the bell crank 80 is restored to itsnormal position shown in Figure 4, and the parts 66 and 89 controlled by it are likewise restored to their normal position shown in Figures 2 and 6, thereby setting the parts in proper position for the next selecting operation. Also, when the lug 9| rides off the lever 88, the latter and the cancelling bar 83 controlled by it are restored to their initial position.

When no records are selected for play by the lever l8, then, as before stated, the consecutiveplay bar 28 functions to govern the automatic selective playing of the records in succession. Aftereach record is selected for play, a cancelling operation is effected in the same manner as just described, that is, the cancelling bar 83 shifts theslide-block plunger 8| to rock the consecutive-play bar 28 from the dotted line to the full line position shown in Figure 3, and immediately thereafter the spring 3| returns said bar 28 to its position for governing the selection of the next record.

When the record-stack has been elevated to its proper height to provide for the operatingclearance space for the tone arm, the clutch lever 56 is restored to its neutral position, and after the playing of the record, the clutch lever is shifted stack on to the turntable, and thereafter'the clutch lever is shifted to a position to drive the shaft 52 and cam shaft 39 geared thereto to restore the turntable to its initial position preparatory to the next selecting cycle, all as set forth in the aforesaid United States Patent No. 2,096,718.

We claim as our invention:

1. A record selector mechanism for automatic phonographs, comprising an operating. shaft, a

frame having a longitudinal guide member there on, a slide-block operatively connected to said shaft for movement on said guide'member to one or anotherv f-a plurality of selective positions, a plurality of record-selector levers piyotedto said frame and disposed in a row parallel to the path phonographs, comprising an operating shaft, a

slide-block operatively connected thereto and movable to one or another of a plurality of selective positions, a plurality of record-selector elements disposed in a row parallel to the path of travel ofsaid slide-block and projectable to and from a selective position into and out of its path, a clutch device for governing said shaft, a

displaceable means mounted on said block for P initiating the movement of the clutch to a released position and including a partdisposed. for

engagement with a projected selector element for actuation thereby to an operative clutch-releasing position during the advancement of the slideblock to a selective position as determined by such selector element, a rock bar disposed along the position into and out of its path, a clutch device for governing said shaft, a displaceable means mounted on said member for initiating the movement of the clutch to a released position and including a part pivoted thereto and normally disposed for-engagement with a projected selector element for actuation thereby to an operative clutch-releasing position as determined by such' selector element, and an operative connection between said initiating means and said clutch device and including a member disposed adjacent to and coextensive with the path of travel of the selector-governing member for operative engagement by such initiating means in any of the selective positions of said selector-governing member.

4. A record selector mechanism for automatic phonographs, comprising an operating shaft', a selector-governing member operatively connected thereto and movable to one or another of a plurality of selective positions, a plurality of recordselector elements disposed in a row parallel to the path of travel of said selector-governing member and projectable to and from a selective position into and out of its path, a clutch device for governing said shaft, a bell crank lever mounted on said member and having a pawl-like element pivoted to one arnrthereof and disposed for engagement with a projected selector element for causing a rocking of such lever during the advancement of the selector-governing member to a given selective position, and an operative connectionlbet'ween the otherarm-of sald beli 'cranklever and said clutch device. and said rock bar.

5 A'record Selector mechanism for automatic phonographs, comprising an operating shaft, a

selector-governing meinber operatively connected thereto and movable to one or another of a plurality of selective positions, a plurality of record-selector elements disposed in a row parallel to the path of travel of said selector-governing member and projectable to and from a selective position into and out of its path, a clutch device for governing said shaft, a rock lever 8. A record selector mechanism for-automatic phonographs, comprising an operating .shaft,'a

mounted on said member and having a pawl-like thereto and movable to one or another of a p1u-,

rality of selective positions, a plurality of recordselector elements disposed in a row parallel to the path of travel of said selector-governing member and projectableto and from a selective position into and out of its path, a clutch device for governing said shaft, a rock lever mounted on said member for swinging in the plane thereof and having a pawl-like element applied to one arm thereof for pivoted movement relative thereto into the path of a projected selector element for causing a rocking of such lever and the arresting of the selector-governing member during its advancement to a given selective position, said pawllike element being adapted to ride over any projected selector elements during the movement of said member in the opposite direction, and an operative connection between the other arm of said rock lever and said clutch device including a member disposed adjacent and co-extensive with the path of travel of the selector-governing member for operative engagement by such arm when the pawl-like element is rendered operative to actuate said lever.

'7. A record selector mechanism for automatic phonographs, comprising an operating shaft, a selector-governing member operatively connected thereto and movable to one or another of' a plurality of selective positions, a plurality of recordselector elementsdisposed in a row parallel to the path of travel of said selector-governing member and projectable to and from a selective position into and out of its path, a clutch device for governing said shaft, a clutch-releasing trip means applied to said member including a part disposed for engagement with aprojected selector element for actuation thereby to a clutch-releasing position during the advancement of the selectorgoverning member to a selective position as determined by such selector, element, and an operative connection between said trip means and said clutch device including a rock bar disposed adjacent to the path of travel of the selector-governing member for operative engagement by said trip means in any of the selective positions of said member, a clutch-governing trigger associated with said clutch device, and a triggerselectofigoverning member operatively connected g rality of selective positions, a plurality of recordselector elements disposed in a row parallel to the path of travel of said selector-governing member and projectable to and from a selective position into and out of its path, a clutch device for governing said shaft, means applied to said member and operatively connected to said clutch device for shifting it to a released position when such member is arrested in its movement by a projected selector element, a normally-retracted, projectable cancelling member guided on said selector-governing member for registration with a companion selector element in a selected position of the selector-governing member, and means engageable with said cancelling member for actuating such member-in a direction to restore the registering selector element to its-initial position.

9. A record selector mechanismfor automatic phonographs, comprising an- -'op erati ng shaft, a longitudinally shiftable member. operatively'connected thereto and movable to one, orlanother of a plurality of selective. positions,'a plurality of record selector levers pivoted in a row parallel to the path of travel of said shiftable member and projectable to and from a selective position .to bring portions thereof into and out of its path, such portionsconstituting stops for arresting the, movement of the shiftable member in predetermined selectivepositions, a clutch for governing the rotation ofz'said shaft, and a pair of elements pivotally mounted on said shiftable member to rock in the plane of its movement, one of saidelements being disposed for operative engagement with the stop portion of a projected selector lever and the other being operatively connected to said clutch for shifting it from clutching engagement with said shaft when the shiftable member is arrested in its movement by a projected selector lever.

10. Aa'ecord selector mechanism for automatic phonographs, comprising an operating shaft, a shiftable member operatively connected thereto and movable to one or another of a plurality of Selective positions, a plurality of record selector levers pivoted intermediate their ends in a row parallel to the path of travel of said shiftable member for movement to and from a selective position into and out of the path of the latter, each of said levers having a manipulating button on one of its arms for manually shifting the same to a selective position and having a stoplug on its other arm adapted to assume an operative position relative to said shiftable member in a selected position of the lever, a clutch for governing the rotation of said shaft, and means for governing the shifting of the clutch to a released position when the shiftable member assumes a predetermined selective position; said means including a trip member applied to said shiftable member having a part disposed for engagement with the stop-lug of a projected lever for actuation thereby to a tripping position, and an operative connection between said trip member and said clutch, 1 v

11. In a record selector mechanism for automatic phonographs, a selector-governing member movable to one or another of a plurality of selective positions, a plurality of manual selector elements projectable to and from aselective position into and out of the path of movement of said selector-governing member for arresting its move-' ment in predetermined selective-governing positions, and means normally disposed in the path 01' travel of the selector-governing member for arresting its movement at successive selectivegoverning positions when the selector elements are inactive, said successive, selective-governing means being disposed in operative relation to said selector elements and movable thereby to an inactive position when one or another of the selector elements is projected to a selective position.

12. In a record selector mechanism for auto matic phonographs, a selector-governing member movable to one or another of a plurality of selective positions, a plurality of manual selector elements projectable to and from a selective position into and out of the path of movement of said selector-governing member for arresting its movement in predetermined selective-governing positions, a consecutive-play bar movable into and out of cooperative relation with said selectorgoverning member 'and'having selector elements thereon corresponding in number to and disposed in the plane of said manual selector elements, and yieldablemeans acting on said bar for normally urging it in a direction tobring its selector elements into the path of movement of said selectorgoverning member for arresting its movement,

said play bar being movable to an inoperative position whenever one of said manual selector elements is moved to a projected position.

13. In a record selector mechanism for automatic phonographs, a selector-governing member movable to one or another of a plurality of selective positions, a plurality of manual selector elements projectable to and from a selective position into and out of the path of movement of said selector-governing member for arresting its movement in predetermined selective-governing positions, a rock bar disposed adjacent the path of travel of said selector-governing member and having selector elements thereon corresponding 1 in number to and disposed in the plane of the manual selector elements for a'utomatically arresting the movement of such member at succes'-' sive, selective-governing positions when said manual selector elements are not projected, a

spring applied to said bar for normally urging it in a direction to bring its selector elements into the path of movement of said selector-goveming member for arresting its movement, and complementary means on said bar and said manual se- 4 

